Howl’s Moving Castle has long been one of my favorite books. I love the fairy tale elements, the humor, and—of course—Calcifer! There’s something just so captivating about this tale that makes it so much fun to read.
But if you’ve finished reading it and are looking for more books like Howl’s Moving Castle, then this is the list for you. From other books by the same author, to other books with unusual fairy tale elements, to other books with magical castles…you’ll want to add all of these to your reading list right away!
1. The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
After finishing a book I really love, I always go first to check if there are other works by the same author. And luckily in this case Diana Wynne Jones delivers with an amazing series including one of my favorites—The Lives of Christopher Chant!
In this tale, a young boy called Christopher Chant comes from a magical family but has nothing magical about him except the magic in his dreams. His family situation is lonely with his parents fighting with each other and ignoring him, so he looks forward to his dreams each night to escape the reality of his world.
In his dreams, he goes to a place he calls “The Place Between” and then on to the “Almost Anywheres”—worlds quite different from London where he has all sorts of strange adventures. But when odd toys and objects from his dreams start showing up in his room, soon others start to take note…and his world is turned upside down as he’s sent to Chrestomanci Castle to train to be the Chrestomanci and control all the magic in the world!
Will Christopher succeed and become the next Chrestomanci? From one moment to the next in this book, you never know quite what will happen next…and when Christopher finds himself in danger and his beloved Almost Anywheres in danger too, will he come out of it all alive and well or will disaster strike?
Although this is definitely one of my favorite books in this series, there are also five more books to enjoy so be sure to check them out too!
Buy The Lives of Christopher Chant now on Bookshop or Amazon!
2. Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Like Howl’s Moving Castle, Dealing With Dragons takes common fairy tale elements and turns them on their head. This delightful book takes your usual princess, but instead of waiting for her knight or prince to rescue her from the dragon…well, she runs away to live with the dragon!
Becoming a dragon’s princess sounds like way more fun to headstrong and independent Cimorene than staying in her home kingdom and learning all the rules of being a princess. She loves fencing, and Latin, and all sorts of things princesses aren’t supposed to, so where else might she fit in than with a dragon?
But soon princes and knights are trying to rescue her even though she doesn’t want them to…and then when things start going wrong in the dragon kingdom, can Cimorene and her dragon figure out what’s happening before it’s too late?
If you need a further reason to read this book, this quote about one of the princes who tries repeatedly to rescue her ought to do it: “‘If he is not thy paramour, nor any of those other things, then what is he?’ the jinn asked suspiciously. ‘A nuisance,’ Cimorene said succinctly.” Cimorene is perfectly able to take care of herself, which makes this such a fun read!
Even better, there are several other books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles—you can buy the whole box set here. They’re definitely worth it!
Buy Dealing with Dragons now on Bookshop or Amazon!
3. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
If you love the magic castle aspect of Howl’s Moving Castle, then you’ll adore Tuesdays at the Castle! But unlike Howl’s castle that floats across fields, Castle Glower is fixed firmly in place—but grows a new room or two whenever it is bored!
Princess Celie has found that Castle Glower frequently gets bored and grows new rooms on Tuesdays, so now those are her favorite days. No one really knows what the castle is going to do next, as it also rearranges everything occasionally which makes it hard to find where you are going!
But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and disappear on their journey across their kingdom, Celie’s life is quite suddenly rearranged as she and her brother and sister must work to protect their home and kingdom. Can the castle help? Will Celie’s knowledge of how to navigate it aid her and her siblings as they fight the forces that are conspiring against them?
With the engaging premise of a magically changing castle, a dash of mystical creatures, and plenty of fun hijinks (many of which include the funny and kind foreign Prince Lulath), Tuesdays at the Castle is a magical read that will leave you wanting to learn even more about Castle Glower and Celie!
Luckily, there are four more brilliant books in this series plus a free holiday short story:
- Wednesdays in the Tower
- Thursdays with the Crown
- Fridays with the Wizards
- Saturdays at Sea
- Holidays at the Castle (click here to read for free!)
Buy Tuesdays at the Castle now on Bookshop or Amazon!
4. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
Another amusing book that turns fairy tale conventions on its head, The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is a must-read for anyone who loves Howl’s Moving Castle.
You know how all the fairy tale princes are called Prince Charming? Well, they actually have names. Prince Liam, Prince Frederic, Prince Duncan, and Prince Gustav. Unfortunately, the bards who sing of their deeds winning their respective princesses (Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel) are lousy and didn’t think to mention the princes’ actual names…so now they’re all known across the land as Prince Charming.
And while they may think they deserve recognition and that the bards should have properly identified them…well, the truth of the matter is that most of them are pretty lousy as far as princes go. Frederic, for instance, is scared of everything and Prince Gustav thinks he’s strong but wasn’t able to save his princess (Rapunzel) and instead got thrown into a thorn bush and lost his eyesight. Rapunzel had to save herself and then save him.
But when these bumbling princes find themselves thrown together and accidentally stumble upon an evil plot, they have to overcome their shortcomings to take on bandits, dragons, witches, and more and hopefully save their kingdoms. Can they do it? That’s up for some debate, but it’s sure to be a hilarious ride as they try to stop the evil forces threatening their world!
And after you finish this book, you’ll definitely want to check out the sequels in The League of Princes Series—The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle and The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw.
Buy The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom now on Bookshop or Amazon!
5. Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
In the fractured fairy tale Goose Chase, poor goose girl Alexandria is put under a spell by a witch—just like poor Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle. Unlike Sophie’s situation, however, the witch in Alexandria’s story thought she was doing Alexandria a favor!
It all came about because Alexandria showed a little kindness and shared her only bread and water with what she thought was just a hungry old woman. But then this woman turns into a witch and makes Alexandria astonishingly beautiful. Now, when she brushes her hair, gold dust rains down…and when she cries, her tears turn into real diamonds!
Although it might not sound too bad at first, soon an evil king and a prince are fighting for her hand (er, inexhaustible wealth) and have locked her in a tower to keep her “safe” until they can decide who will marry her. So of course she has to escape—and as soon as possible! Thank goodness she’s a goose girl and her twelve geese are able to help her leave the tower. But soon she’s in lots of trouble, captured by ogres, saddled with a bumbling prince, and forced to find a set of royal jewels. Will the goose girl ever be able to return home to the life she loved?
Goose Chase is an extremely hilarious book for anyone who loves fairy tale elements and loves it when authors turn those elements on their head. It’s perfect for anyone who is enchanted with Howl’s Moving Castle, and is sure to become your new favorite story!
Buy Goose Chase now on Bookshop or Amazon!
6. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Dragon Slippers is the first book in another delightful series by Jessica Day George, and this is one you will definitely want to add to your reading list!
Creel’s aunt wants to sacrifice her to the local dragon in the hopes that a knight will show up, fight the dragon, and marry Creel (and then also financially support Creel’s aunt, uncle, and cousins because obviously that’s the least he can do…or at least that’s what her aunt says). But Creel isn’t worried, because no one’s seen the dragon in centuries.
But unlucky Creel is left at the entrance to the dragon cave and soon the dragon actually appears! Left to his mercy, Creel bargains with the dragon for her freedom: in exchange for saving him the bother of having to fight a knight, she wants one item form his hoard and will leave him alone. Only this dragon doesn’t collect gold—he collects shoes!
With a new pair of shoes on her feet, Creel sets out for the King’s Seat to make a living embroidering gowns. But soon she’s caught up with other dragons, has met the princes of the realm, and finds herself in the midst of a plot to take over the kingdom! What will she do? What can she do? Can she save the kingdom and get her own happily ever after at the same time or will she accidentally destroy the kingdom instead?
This tale will keep you on the edge of your seat…and once you’re done reading, you have two sequels to look forward to: Dragon Flight and Dragon Spear.
Buy Dragon Slippers now on Bookshop or Amazon!
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The Enchanted Forest Chronicles is one of my favorite series. Dragon Slippers is a wonderful book.
I agree! Definitely love these books!